


Like Semicolons and Endings

by SweetDreamCorporation



Category: TREASURE (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, M/M, Shameless Smut, sukhoon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:47:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28179363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetDreamCorporation/pseuds/SweetDreamCorporation
Summary: Jihoon really fucking hates his roommate
Relationships: Choi Hyunsuk/Park Jihoon
Comments: 31
Kudos: 129





	1. Two Months

They had been roommates for a whopping two whole months. 

Jihoon, being adamant about his study time, was trying very hard to concentrate on the textbook in front of him. The writings of Plato! Homer! Aristotle! And not one could make Jihoon keep his gaze on the words. They all sort of meshed together in this unreadable vortex of spinning words and letters and the more he tried to concentrate, the more the letters would spin. It was much like the situation after reading The Iliad, where not once could he have forced himself to understand what was going on when all he could think about was the jerk behind him bouncing the fucking ball Jihoon had told him not to bounce for the hundredth- 

“Can you stop that!?” Jihoon turned around on his chair, face red and eyes wild, to look at the asshole who thought study time was ‘make Jihoon as mad as possible’ hour. He guessed he must have looked delirious, having the tendency of gripping his hair whenever he struggled to concentrate. And he also quessed by the scowl his roommate was sporting that Jihoon looked quite stupid too. “I'm trying to concentrate!” Jihoon gripped the support of the chair. 

His ‘friend’- a son of a bitch named Hyunsuk as Jihoon liked to call him- was laying on a bed, legs dangling from the edge, throwing a small plastic ball up on the ceiling and making it fall down to his hands again. It created a loud thud every time and it was driving Jihoon insane. 

“I’m trying to concentrate too. So you shut up.” Hyunsuk answered in a calm tone. 

Jihoon took a deep breath, as to not scream again and make the whole building call the dorm supervisor on them. “Well can you go concentrate somewheres else?!” Jihoon said as he gritted his teeth. He was sure the bathroom would make a nice place for Hyunsuk to bounce his ball however much he wanted. 

Hyunsuk hoisted himself up by his elbows, catching the ball one more time before looking up in concentration. “I am doing just fine here thinking of possible ways an old lady could have committed murder without strangulation or poisoning.” 

Jihoon stayed still, looking at Hyunsuk like the madman he was. “Hyunsuk, I'm going to tell you this one last time. Shut up and let me concentrate.” Their eyes connected, knowing full well neither of them were going to back down. 

“No.”

It was that simple no that Jihoon always got when he asked Hyunsuk for anything. That no that made him want to run and strangle him. 

“Hyunsuk LEAVE!” 

“Make me.” Hyunsuk snarled. 

And so Jihoon launched himself at him and did just that. 

He landed on the edge of the bed and wrapped his hands around Hyunsuk’s neck, immediately shaking him. Hyunsuk’s own went straight to Jihoon’s shirt, bunching it, and making it tighter around the chest. Jihoon felt the burn of the clothes that were marking his skin. Hyunsuk thrashed around to make his grip on his neck waver. A particular thrash launched Jihoon and made him land next to Hyunsuk on the bed. Now they were both a struggling mess of legs kicking and hands gripping each other. 

“Motherfucker, I'm going to kill you and make you another case in your class!” Jihoon squeaked out as Hyunsuk was just out of reach from kicking him on the dick. “Get out of my room!”

“This-” Hyunsuk struggled to form coherent sentences as the grip that Jihoon had on his neck was making him want to cough. “- is my room. You get out-” 

For a slight second, Jihoon lost his grip on Hyunsuk’s neck, and that was a mistake that cost him the advantage because he was suddenly thrown upwards on the bed and had Hyunsuk restraining his hands above the headboard. It was a painful feeling that shot from his elbow bumping against the woods of the board all the way to the bones on his wrist that he sure would crack at any moment. 

“Go study at one of the frat houses you frequently visit-” Hyunsuk’s voice was hoarse “-i’m sure they’d love your company right about now.” 

Suddenly, this had gotten a lot more personal. Jihoon bit back a small laughter, partly due to the pain. “Ohhh fuck you Hyunsuk. You have no room to talk.” 

Hyunsuk quirked his head to the side. Now Jihoon really wanted to laugh. “You think I have forgotten the time I caught you having sex with the girl from the sport’s festival? She looked so refined up there giving her commencement speech. Who knew her voice was naturally that loud.” 

They were both snarling at each other, eyes not daring to back down from the stand off they had, and Jihoon’s wrists were throbbing with pain. He saw the opportunity of freeing himself when Hyunsuk lifted his head, a condescending look directed at Jihoon making its way to him. With one swift potion, Jihoon kneed him on his groin, making Hyunsuk slightly scream in pain and when his face was low enough, he bumped his forehead to the asshole’s face. In an instant, Hyunsuk was laying on his back, eyes closed and hands on his bleeding nose. 

Jihoon sat up, slightly rubbing his wrists at the pain now bouncing into his hands. This was definitely going to leave a bruise on him and it annoyed him. Jihoon clicked his tongue and got off the bed to go sit on his own. 

They were both breathing heavily, exhausted and in no mood to study. Jihoon turned to look at his literature textbook on his desk, and then to Hyunusk’s criminal case files by his nightstand. He took one last deep breath before rolling his eyes and getting up. 

“I’m leaving.” He said, paying no mind to the boy checking out the blood on his hands. He immediately headed to the door, holding his right wrist and grabbing his jacket. And with a small slam, he was out.  
\----  
He realized now it was probably a bitchy move to make, but he didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for Hyunsuk. 

“-and that was why I slapped him. Cold hearted bastard.” Junkyu said as he stuffed another hot chicken wing dipped in cheese inside his mouth. Jihoon could care less of whatever Junkyu was ranting about, so he nodded and hummed in agreement. “But anyway, what happened to you? Shouldn't you be studying or something?” 

Jihoon had his head leaning on his elbow, looking up at the ceiling of the dining hall and paying absolutely no attention. He couldn't really call Junkyu a friend, and not just an acquaintance either. Junkyu fell somewhere in the middle, and it was hard to pinpoint exactly where. 

“Uhhhhhh Jihoon?” Junkyu called out again, and Jihoon lowered his gaze to look at him. The edges of his mouth were covered in cheese, and his hands rested on the table too, the red sauce of the chicken wings visible on his fingers. “Is everything alright?” 

Jihoon sighs out and nods, handing Junkyu a napkin from the dispenser. “Yes, why wouldn't it be?” 

Junkyu raises an eyebrow and thanks him for the napkin. “Well, because last time I talked to you, you told me not to call you since today you’de be busy.” Junkyu slurp on his drink. “All day.”

“You think I can with that fuckface over there?” Jihoon leaned in talked a bit too loud, Junkyu wincing while slightly looking around to see if anybody caught that. “You think it’s easy? I’m better off finishing my damn assignments at Yang’s place. At least he’l leave me alone after I suck his dick. Hyunsuk is just annoying because he wants to.” Jihoon felt his blood boil just talking about it. 

Junkyu was silent. He sat straight up, eyes wide in concern. “So-so you haven’t gone and asked for a roommate change?” 

“I have!” Jihoon slams his fist on the table, now definitely catching the attention of others. He closes his eyes and rubs his face, feeling an incoming headache. “I-I have. There are no more spaces to change, and even if there were, I’m bottom of the list. At this rate, i’ll be stuck with him for the whole year.” 

Junkyu sticks out his lower lip, feeling suddenly sad for his friend, or acquaintance. Whatever Jihoon called him. “Then go to Yang’s.” 

“He’s out on a retreat.” Jihoon sucks on his smoothie’s straw, the coolness of the drink calming down the aching sensation on his throat. 

“Already? It has only been two months?” 

Jihoon shrugs. He never bothered to dive into the lives of whoever he slept with. Hookups were a one time thing, deleting their numbers right after. For people like Yang, who was the leader of a frat house on campus, Jihoon kept around for his needs and theirs. Maybe an invitation to a party, maybe the answer keys to a test, maybe sex. They helped each other out. And besides, he hated the people but loved the experience. No strings attached. And besides, Yang wasn’t the only one he had this ‘special’ connection with. 

“So what are you going to do now? I mean, you don’t really… have friends.” Junkyu said the last part slowly, not wanting to seem insensitive. “You can study at my place!” 

“Uhhggg and be in the same space as Yoshinori?”

“He’s not that bad!” Junkyu answered defensively. Jihoon scowled. 

“He literally judges me from head to toe.” 

“That’s because you don’t know him! He’s so nice and smart too!” 

Jihoon deadpanned. “I think I’ll pass.” 

Junkyu stays quiet for a second before inhaling some air and then letting it out in surrender. “Your loss then.” 

They continued to eat, finishing their meal and heading off. The walk through the park at night was refreshing to say the least. Being inside, cooped up studying for exam after exam, was stressful. Everything about Jihoon’s life was stressful, and it just so happened that literature was stressful too. Thank God it was not math. Jihoon sucked at math. An engineering or physics degree would have always been out of the question for him. 

The sound of footsteps- from both of them- echoed through the silent street. It wasn’t scary or anything of that sort, lights being planted on each side of the path. And some students were also making their way through the nights, some alone and some like him and Junkyu, in pairs. Speaking of which, he turned to see the shorter giggling to himself, trying and failing miserably to ignore him. 

“Why are you laughing.” Jihoon asked, through the side of his mouth, slightly annoyed and slightly amused. He said it more like a statement, and Junkyu hummed and huffed into his covered hands. His red gloves seemed to be an extension of Junkyu himself, the taller never seeing him without them. Be it in class or anywhere else, those things were always hiding in Junkyu’s pockets. 

“I was thinking about the story Yoshi told me yesterday. About the various Yokai there are.” Junkyu looked up at him. “My favorite is the Kappa.” 

Jihoon sees the cold smoke forming whenever Junkyu speaks. The pinnacle of winter. Then, as if the goddess of ideas and brilliance had gone over him, he smiles, stopping just outside the entrance of the park and putting an arm over Junkyu’s shoulder. He looks up thoughtfully before landing his eyes on the confused face of his… friend. “Do you want to hear another?” 

Junkyu’s eyes light up slightly, mouth opening in excitement. “You know some?!” His hands balled into fists, slightly jumping up and down with a motion that Jihoon otherwise would have considered adorable. 

“Of course! I’m a literature major.” He leans in and grins. “That’s what I do.” They carry on their walk to the dorms, Jihoon’s arm still around the other’s shoulder. “It’s not exactly folklore. More like, an urban legend.” Junkyu does a slight o with his mouth, listening in. “They say that in this particular city in Japan, you will always find school children talking about the dare.” This makes Junkyu look up in amazement. “The act of going to an intersection, maybe an alleyway, and asking the first stranger they meet about their future. It can be things like money, or school.” They reach a convenience store, both sitting outside it and leaning against the glass, watching the people and cars pass by. Long gone was the park in which this conversation had started. “You ask the stranger- it can be anyone- if they would be willing to say yes or no to your inquiries. Maybe you would like money. You ask them if you become rich in the future. Then, they will answer yes or no, sort of predicting it.” Junkyu furrows his eyebrows. 

“This is not scary, though?” 

Jihoon looks at him in a satisfied smile. “It is when the pretty boy is involved.” They fix their sitting positions, just to make each other more comfortable. “One particular girl did the dare, wanting to ask if she would end up with the boy she liked. She waited and waited. She waited for so long she was considering giving up and going home. But that’s when she saw him. The most pretty boy she had ever seen. Midst had surrounded the intersection, and all she could see was him. She was so enchanted by his looks that the words were hard to get out. His eyes were like orbs floating on the whitest skin and his hair so dark it seemed like a vortex over his head. And when she finally managed to ask him the question, do you know what he said?” Junkyu slowly shook his head, eyes concentrated on Jihoon. “He said no. The pretty boy that she was enchanted with said no straight to her. He called her too ugly for her crush to like her back. And with that, just like that, the midst around her disappeared, and she was all alone. The girl, so distraught with his reply, so distraught with the pretty boy calling her ugly, couldn't cope with it. If it had been anyone else, she would have ignored it. But this was different. And with all her distress, she killed herself. Nobody knew why she did, all they knew was that the pretty boy had taken another down. From then on, the dare was banned. But every here and then, you will be dared to do it, and you just hope it’s not the pretty boy you encounter.” 

The two had gone silent, just sitting there and watching the city lights flash by. Jihoon suppressed any emotion that was rising up and waited until Junkyu was ready to say something. 

“That was scary.” He said simply. 

Jihoon nodded, biting back a proud grin. “Are you familiar with the works of Junji Ito?”

Junkyu got up, his eyes blown and his body shaking. He looked down at Jihoon and shook his head again. “No, and I don’t think I want to.” Jihoon got up and continued their walk, Junkyu visible a bit less giddy than he was before. “I’m not sleeping tonight.”   
\----  
There was a conversation taking place when Jihoon arrived at his room. The voices were familiar and loud, he could hear them from all the way from the hallway. He recognized Hyunsuk’s, his high pitched sound irritating just as much as the man himself. The other though, was one he wasn’t particularly familiar with. He opened the door, revealing Hyunsuk sitting on the edge of his bed talking to a boy standing in front of him. He had seen the stranger walking around campus a few times, but never with Hyunsuk. They were both smiling and laughing and it piqued Jihoon’s interest. 

The stranger was tall and unfairly handsome, Jihoon pinpointing out his only flaw that were those sharp fangs he had. ‘Count Dracula’, he thought for a brief second. Hyunsuk turned to look at Jihoon standing in the doorway, eyes glinting. “Hello murdered, I see you’re back.” Jihoon scowls, lowering his head when passing by the stranger, taking his jacket off and throwing it into a cardboard box by his bed. “Jihoon, this is Jaehyuk, Jaehyuk, this is my roommate Jihoon.” 

“Nice to meet you.” Jihoon mumbles and goes to grab his towel, making sure to cover with his back a particular dresser opening that had his underwear. The last thing he needed was for some guy and shitface Hyunsuk to see his personal things. He got what he needed, a shirt and shorts, and all throughout, he felt their stares on him. Jihoon groaned, wanting to kick Hyunsuk again for making this uncomfortable. He didn’t even give a heads up that someone was coming. 

“Hi Jihoon! I’m in your Econ class!” Jaeyhuk said out of nowhere. This made Jihoon jump, not expecting his voice to be this loud. He should have expected it though, seeing how audible it was from outside. Jihoon turned around, giving him a wide fake smile and nodding. 

“You are?” Jihoon tried to sound just as enthusiastically as him. Jaehyuk extended his hand, his smile showing off those oddly captivating fangs. 

“Yeah! I sit two rows behind you!” The guy just radiated sunshine, and it made Jihoon take a step back. Jaeyhuk reached out for a handshake, grabbing Jihoon’s still slightly throbbing wrist and shaking his hand. Jihoon winced, but it seemed to go unnoticed by the other party. “You are always looking out the window, spacing off.”

“You take economics?” Hyunsuk asked.

Jihoon turned around and gave him an annoyed face. “I minor in it, shitface.” Hyunsuk sucks on his lower lip and dumbly smiles. Jihoon realizes what he might have done and quickly looks at Jaehyuk again, eyes wide. “I-I need to go take a shower.” He frees his hand from his and goes quickly to the bathrooms of the dorms.   
\----  
“He seemed lovely.” Jaehyuk said, sitting besides Hyunsuk. He took off his scarf, rolling it on his hands. Hyunsuk snorts. He wonders why Jaehyuk decided to dress like a hipster Wall Street worker, his cream coat matching his cream scarf and gloves. It suited him, but at this point, it was too much for Hyunsuk. 

“He’s a piece of ass.” Hyunsuk retorted. He got up and grabbed by his desk the crime files he was working on earlier, handing them to Jaehyuk who gave a smile in appreciation. 

“Yet charming.” Jaehyuk adds, earning a confused stare from the raven. 

“You like him or something?” 

Jaehyuk stares at the wall for a moment, slightly smiling at the thought of liking Jihoon. He turns to look at Hyunsuk standing, expecting his answer. “Why? Would it bother you?” Hyunsuk abruptly shakes his head, looking taken back. 

“No, but it’d be weird for you to. I mean, he’s literally known for that video of him sucking off Yang at a frat party-” 

“Oh like you haven’t done something similar.” Jaehyuk smirks. “Remember that video you and Sohee did in senior year? And you are always having sex.” Hyunsuks stays still for a movement before giving a surrendering smile and slagging his shoulders. 

“You’re right.” He sat besides Jaehyuk, looking straight into his eyes. “Highschool Hyunsuk was pretty wild, wouldn’t you agree?” 

“You still are.” Jaehyuk laughs and then looks at Hyunsuk quizzically. “Then what is it?” He stares at the raven’s necklace. A small paper crane on a silver chain. Elegant. “Why don’t you two get along?” 

Hyunsuk shrugs, showing a bored look. “We just don’t.” Jaehyuk nodes, having the look of someone not fully convinced. They sit in silence once more, Jaehyuk looking through the files and Hyunsuk humming to himself. 

“So-” Jaehyuk speaks up, smiling once again. “- I heard you had sex with the girl from the sport’s festival.” 

Hyunsuk gave him a knowing smile. “Yeah.”  
\----  
“What did your friend want?” Jihoon walked in, toothbrush in hand. Hyunsuk was busy typing into his computer. 

“Something for a project.” 

Jihoon raises an eyebrow. “Working on it together?’ 

Hyunsuk sighs out and stops typing. “Yes, Jihoon. Together.” Jihoon glares at him and sits down on his own bed, watching Hyunsuk type at lightning speed. Hyunsuk senses this and clicks his tongue. “Shouldn't you study or read or something. You get pretty cranky when you don’t.” Hyunsuk slightly snorts at his last statement. Jihoon shrugs and gets up to put the toothbrush away. 

“I already know everything that’s going to be on the test.” 

Hyunsuk stops, looks up, and speaks monotonously. “So you got mad at me for nothing?”

Jihoon smirks now, looking over his shoulder at the other. “I just wanted to review but you couldn’t be quiet.” Hyunsuk deadpans before he rubs his eyes and continues typing, whispering bitch under his breath. If they talked, it always turned to insults and threats. If they didn’t, they stayed silent. Jihoon enjoyed it. He really did. The annoying pitch of Hyunsuk’s voice didn’t have to pierce his ears. And he didn’t have to interact like a normal human being at all. It just made sense. He had a lecture at nine am tomorrow morning, so he decided to just relax and hit the bed. Normally, by this time, he’d be reading or studying, but earlier’s incident took him out. 

Their beds were adjacent to each other, against the left wall of the room. He thought having to sleep with beds facing each other was somehow worse, so the three feet with two nightstands separation was ideal for him. Right across his bed was his desk, a small closet, and a dresser right below the window. That was supposedly his half, Hyunsuk having the other. His had an actual closet, with a sliding glass door. Jihoon thought it was an unfair tradeoff but fighting with Hyunsuk was like talking to a wall. But he guesses he was the same. 

Jihoon scrolled through his phone, remembering now that he didn’t have anyone to talk to or to keep up with. He bit his tongue, dread boiling inside him. Of course he forgot. He didn’t really have social media, knowing that all he would see about him were people calling him a slut, a manwhore, and those stupid pictures. It seemed like everyone was interested in his life, and it was annoying. 

He turns off his phone, closing his eyes and ignoring the light that was still on. Hyunsuk’s words from earlier started being repeated in his head. “Go study at one of the frat houses you frequently visit, I'm sure they’d love your company right about now.” He furrowed his eyebrows, squeezing his eyes. Hyunsuk was such a bitch and he dared call Jihoon one. What a hypocrite. What a fucking hypocryt- 

“You know you should really consider getting sleeping pills.” Hyunsuk tells him as he closes his computer, taking his shirt off and hitting the lights. Jihoon assumes it’s already around twelve and all he wants is for Hyunsuk to shut up. “You keep tossing and turning.”

“Can you please not take your shirt off?” Jihoon replies. He didn’t see him, facing the wall, but he just knew the other and his awful habits already. Hyunsuk doesn’t answer, Jihoon just hears him lay in his bed, and he inhales a deep breath before finally falling asleep.   
\----  
He woke up exactly five minutes before his alarm went off. It was nothing new, Jihoon always woke up before his actual alarm. He groaned, rubbing his eyes from the light entering his window and turned around in his bed. Hyunsuk was gone, his bed a mess like always. Jihoon groaned louder and got up, blinking a few times before fixing his sight and staring up at the massive Edward ScissorHands poster in front of him. Hyunsuk had told him multiple times that it was weird for him to adore a movie that much, to which Jihoon always replied with the raven’s obsession with Love Actually, a movie that Jihoon thought was severely boring. Truth be told he had never technically seen it, but the comments were made in spite.

He got ready, wearing the only other sweater he had with him, and he thanked all the gods willing to hear him out that it was actually clean, his laundry due soon. The morning was nice too. Jihoon got a bagel with cream cheese, the cheapest thing in the cafe on the first floor of the building, and dark coffee. He was on a budget, obviously, and so Jihoon didn't really mind eating with three dollars every morning. And he also didn’t mind the slight stares and snickers he heard on his way to class, or the way people would deliberately stop to look at him. 

“Hey, look. It’s the fucking whore.” 

That made Jihoon care. 

He was entering the building, and as soon as he heard those words, slight anger started boiling up inside him. Just slightly. Jihoon turned around on his heel, smiling at the idiotic mess that was Hamada Asahi. 

“Asahi. What a pleasure to see you this morning.” 

Asahi walked up to him, smiling back, and lifted his chin. “I heard the basketball team was back from training, so you must be preparing for a lot of stretching.” 

“Hardly!” Jihoon answers. “I actually got very bored spending time with them.” 

Asahi locks his jaw. He looks past Jihoon and enters the building, people around them whispering. Jihoon’s smile drops, licking his teeth and entering the building too. “Well I also heard they were particularly interested in seeing you again.” Asahi comments before disappearing behind a set of double doors. Jihoon gulped, walking slightly faster to his lecture. Like hell they will. 

It was safe to assume that Professor Doh was the most complicated teacher he had. This morning was all about demand schedules and supply curves. Numbers that got lost in calculation and explanations that he was too lazy to write. Everything was just a blur to him, a single fragment of time being lost and wasted. 

“- and that is what I want you all to do for this assignment.” Doh finished talking, starting to write things on the board. Jihoon felt a hand on his shoulder, startling him. He turned around to see Hyunsuk’s friend smiling at him. 

“Hey!” He whispered. Jihoon looked around him to see if he was intending to talk to other people, but no one within five seats was sitting next to him. “You look out the window alot.” 

“I umm… I guess so.” Jihoon stammered, moving uncomfortably in his chair. He just hoped that the others were too engrossed in the lesson to pay attention to them. “Your name is Jaehyuk right?” 

Jaehyuk sat in the seat behind him, the row slightly higher than his. “Yup.” Jihoon didn’t know why, but he felt a little anxious around the brunette. Maybe because last night wasn't exactly the best introduction they both could have played. “I wanted to ask if maybe, we could do this assignment together?”

Jihoon turned to look at him curiously. “Aren’t you Hyunsuk’s friend?” His eyes went directly to Jaehyuk’s fangs. He just seemed to be captivated by them. 

“Well yeah. He’s my partner in criminology. And you are in my class for econ. So I have you both!” He seemed happy about this fact for some reason. Jihoon was surprised that Hyunsuk could have been a friend with someone like him. He was rude and annoying and all he knew was-

“So what do you say, Jihoon? Want to work together?” Jaehyuk leaned his chin on Jihoon’s chair, face too close for comfort. There was something about Jaehyuk that Jihoon couldn’t quite pinpoint. In the short time they had met each other, he found him immensely more tolerable than the asshole Jaehyuk considered his friend. It wouldn’t hurt to accept, would it?

“I don’t even know the assignment.” Jihoon said quietly, concentrating on Doh’s chart mapping. He slouched down in his seat even more, wondering why this vampire of a man was even talking to him.

“Don’t worry, I have it all down.” There is a pause for them both, and between wanting to get back to staring outside the window and wanting to ignore this new acquaintance, he sucked on his tongue, turned to look back at Jaehyuk, and gave him the answer he wanted. 

“Okay, I accept.” 

Jaehyuk shot out his hand just like last night, wanting Jihoon to shake it again. “You won’t be disappointed!” Luckily, Jihoon’s wrist seemed to magically heal overnight, and with slight hesitation from him, they shook hands. 


	2. Prude

Jihoon made good on his promise to work with Jaehyuk on the assignment.

They were sitting on the concrete stairs in the middle of the park. It was more of a ‘modern art’ attempt to make the campus look more appealing. A row of four big steps curled to make a very loose ‘c’, great for sitting and to escape unwanted attention. Given, it was in plain view, but it worked miraculously for those students not wanting to sit on a blanket on the ground.

Jaehyuk and him sat in the second step, notebooks and computers open. Their assignment was to choose a company, apply the law of demand and the law of supply to it and get its equilibrium price, defining all the different inputs that could affect it. Pretty easy if it weren't for all the people snickering behind them.

“Umm…” Jaehyuk looked at him concerned. “S-should we move?”

Jihoon was distracted by the sight of a mother pushing a stroller with a small baby inside. It was still chilly but the sun had come out. He just nodded and hummed. “It’s fine. Just continue from where you left off.” Jaehyuk gave him a small smile and continued explaining his idea for the products. Jihoon turned to look at him, amusement filling his eyes. “Do you mind it?”

Jaehyuk shrugs. “Not really.”

Jihoon tried to hear what the girls behind him were saying. “ _Isn't he the one who took that video with Yang last year?” “Haha! I remember him! He was the most popular freshman back then.” “Hey, how many times do you think he hooks up a week?” “Shhh! He might hear you!”_ Jihoon was amazed that Jaehyuk had not seemed to mind at all, given that their shushed whispers were loud enough for both of them to hear. “So what do you think, Jihoon? Should we go with Hyundai?”

That brought Jihoon back from his thoughts. He looked up at Jaehyuk who was showing off those canines again, and even though Jihoon had in way been listening to whatever the brunette was saying, he agreed, giving a forced smile. “Y-yes.”

Jaehyuk beamed and started typing on his computer again. “Ok !What do you want to start off with? Supply or demand?”

Jihoon pursed his lips. He had just finished a test for Literature and there was nothing else he wanted to do more than go to his bed and rest. But he couldn't. It was the middle of the day and he had to be here instead. So Jihoon tried his best to look interested. “I think Demand would be good.”

From then on, it was stocks after stocks for them all throughout the afternoon. Jihoon’s stomach had growled several times over in the span of their working time and it had made Jaehyuk start to look at him weirdly. “Jihoon, are you always hungry?”

Jihoon stopped typing into his computer and bit his lower lip, feeling his stomach churn. “No.” He answered carefully. “I just didn’t have lunch-”

“Well why didn’t you say so!?” Jaehyuk shot up from the concrete step, scaring Jihoon enough for him to flinch away. “Come on! I have the perfect place to take you to!” Jihoon’s eyes were wide in shock, looking around before gulping and slowly closing his notebooks. Jaehyuk was definitely something else.  
\----  
It was a fifteen minute walk, leaving the university area and traveling the city by foot. Jihoon found it bothersome, but his stomach was really rumbling at this point and he decided for the better of his mentality to follow Jaehyuk. They exited the main streets of the university, walking behind a major plaza and entering into a smaller road with noodle and BBQ shops that, from what Jihoon could see, were employee owned. Maybe one or two people per shop, but never overcrowded. The road connected the back of the plaza and another buzzing street, yet somehow, this particular street smelled oddly nice. Spices mixed together in the air to create a unique scent that made Jihoon’s mouth start to water.

“Is it here?” Jihoon asked, holding tightly to the strap of his bag. It was heavier, seeing as he hadn’t intended for his laptop to be carried inside, and the more they walked deeper into the long road, the more he just wanted to pull over and eat the first thing he found on a menu.

“Almost.” Jaehyuk turned around to look at him. “I promise you it’ll be worth it.”

There was a juncture between two shops, and peeking in, Jihoon saw an alleyway with a brick wall at the end. Jaehyuk stopped in front of it and smelled the air, sighing. Jihoon did too, and he felt the air move out of his lungs.

It smelled wonderful, the perfect combination of spicy and sweet with a bit of tanginess in between, and if the small street had the best smell Jihoon had ever encountered, then the alleyway beat everything else in existence. “Oh my God… Jaehyuk what is that?” Jihoon sniffed the air again, feeling that by just smelling it, his stomach was getting full.

Jaehyuk didn’t answer. He stepped into the alleyway and motioned his head for Jihoon to follow. “Come and see.”

They navigated the alleyway, a single street lamp on, and stopped by a closed wooden door on the side. It had stained glass on top, and it seemed that light was flowing through it, indicating that people were inside. Though it smelled really good, and Jihoon emphasized really good, he didn’t know how safe he felt going into someplace like this. With Jaehyuk, still a stranger to him. Jaehyuk must have felt this because he grabbed the handle of the door. “It’s safe. I promise.” Jihoon couldn't take his word for it, but he gave him the benefit of the doubt, partly due to him starving.

“Tch.” Jihoon crossed his arms, looking away. “As if I didn’t know how to defend myself.” Jaehyuk laughed and then opened the door.

“Jaehyuk! What a surprise!” A booming voice said and Jihoon jumped a bit. He was behind the door, so he couldn't see anything, but the smell was so strong it erupted another growl from his poor stomach. Jaehyuk smiled and waved, entering while peeking around the door for Jihoon to get in. Jihoon blinked, before swallowing a bump he hadn’t noticed was there and stepping into the view of the front door.

It was a small place. A square with one door on the far corners of each side. Occupying most of the space was a big bar-like table that made a square, in the middle another table filled with different spices and greens, fresh Kimchi and Ddeokbokki placed on one side. Behind the tables was a booth with blue and red curtains, and the windows of the booth showed that it was a kitchen, wooden spoons and silver pots hanging on nails. Connected to the booth was the table with the cashier, and behind it, a big man wearing a worn out Hanbok.

Jihoon didn’t move, afraid to even smell the delicious air surrounding him. He stared at the man for what seemed like forever, slightly flinching when he noticed the sar running down one side of his face.

“Jihoon, this is Mr. Yoo, owner of the place. Mr. Yoo, this is my friend, park Jihoon.” He pulled Jihoon in and closed the door. “I want him to try the soup, please.”

The man, Mr. Yoo, kept his gaze on the brunette for a couple of seconds before smiling and extending his arms to show two seats. “You boys can sit there.”

The windows, practically invisible from the outside, were glass stained too. Images of different types of noodles and spices drawn on them. There was really nothing to see out into the alleyway, but it was nice not being stuck inside a box. There was plenty of light coming in, another smaller window next to the booth on the wall showing the flashing images of people walking and cars going by, so there was no need for the lights to be on inside the restaurant. Jihoon wondered if that window was also invisible.

Another head peeked out of the curtains of the booth, an older lady wearing a blue apron and smelling like fresh peppermint. “Jaehyuk, soup right?” The vampire nodded his head and smiled, showing his canine teeth and capturing Jihoon’s attention again.

“I’m paying, so please make the best one you can!”

Jihoon felt his face get a bit hot. This felt a lot like a date if he were being honest, and he didn’t know how he felt about that. The lady smiled. “Please Jaehyuk, don’t insult me. I always do them perfectly.” She winked at them both before getting her head back in. Now Jihoon definitely felt like he was on a date. He felt the urge to correct Jaehyuk on it, but he pulled back. It was intriguing, and he decided to see where things went. Mr. Yoo bowed a bit and headed into a side door, and then it was only the two of them.

“Ummm…” Jihoon didn’t know where to start. It was all confusing but alluring and he squinted his eyes slightly at Jaehyuk. “Where are we?”

Jaehyuk laughed a bit, a breathy laugh that made Jihoon feel a slight zap in his chest, and looked for his wallet. “I’ve been coming here since I was little.” He put down the brown leather containing his card and took it out. “They’re my Godparents. They run this place.” Jihoon raised an eyebrow. Why would Jaehyuk take him here and not the normal foodcourt of campus or the plaza? “It’s called _Alleyway Sunshine_. I think it’s fitting, don’t you think?”

Jaehyuk looked at him intently, eyes shining. Jihoon felt slightly dizzy, and he didn’t know if it was the heat from the kitchen coming in or something else. “Yeah…” He turned to see the man already back, coming towards them with a bowl of bread rolls. They were soft, stretching easily and almost melting once inside the mouth. A buttery taste filled the boys’s senses and soon, they reached out for another bite. Warm and calm, something Jihoon hadn't felt in a while. He almost moaned slightly at the warmth enveloping him, tasting the cheese sprinkles on top.

“You seem to be enjoying it already.” Jaehyuk drank from the glass cup with water that was brought to them, and all Jihoon could do was smile. Genuinely smile.

“It’s good.”

It took no less than a minute for the main dish to come. A soup that seemed oddly familiar to any ramen out there, but once it was but on the table, on display for Jihoon, he suddenly saw what was so special about it.

It had plenty of vegetables, and then three fishcakes. Jihoon tried to guess what type of soup it could be, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The smell though, was amazing.

Jihoon came to know that the woman's name was Ms. Yoo, Jaehyuk thanking her as she headed back inside the kitchen. The smell of the soup was different from the smell of the shop itself. Whereas the building was surrounded by the aroma of spices and greens, the soup was more toned down. Sort of like herbal remedies, if Jihoon remembered correctly. Not that he was an expert, but he had been around them sometimes. Enough experience to smell the connection.

“Taste it Jihoon.” Jaehyuk inched closer to him, smiling and making Jihoon slightly pull back. “You’re going to like it.” Jihoon smelled the soup one last time, then grabbed the bowl and put it to his lips. It burned, still steaming, but he tilted it for it to move the soup to him.

It was minty, he tasted that for sure. But he also tasted parsley, and some ginger. Some spices too. Chilly peppers perhaps. He placed the bowl down, trying to decipher the tones running on his tongue. He felt Jaehyuk’s eyes on him, expecting. Jihoon finally smiled after a moment, turning to look at the boy next to him. “It’s good.”

Jaehyuk didn’t say anything. He just kept smiling, a knowing look on his face, then turned to drink from his bowl. Jihoon definitely couldn’t place his finger on it, but he knew he liked it. It wasn’t extravagant or the most complex culinary cooking he’d ever experience, but it tasted… like home. Whatever that meant to Jihoon, it tasted good. And that was all that really mattered to begin with.

“It’s called _Alleyway Soup._ ” Jaehyuk said, reaching out to grab some bread. “They said that back then, people were so poor that they could only make soup with the spices they found in fields and three fishcakes.” He lightly laughed at Jihoon’s flushed face, having drunk the whole thing in one go. “A recipe so easy to make, but so hard to find.”

Jihoon looked down to his empty bowl, wanting to ask Jaehyuk to order another one. He decided against it- obviously- but it was laying in the back of his mind.

Jaehyuk finally finished his portion and licked his lips of any residue. 

Jihoon looked back at the man and woman having a pleasant conversation. They looked happy, somewhat ignorant to the world outside. It struck him how much of a bubble this place was. An escape, and he let out a little ‘huh’ before grabbing another piece of bread.  
\----  
It was a shitty move to get into an argument with the professor, and Hyunsuk knew it. But he couldn’t help it. He hated that old hag so much. So much in fact that he deliberately started the argument first.

A hammer, and axe, a cable cord, and arsenic. All possible murder weapons for the killing of a perfectly old and wealthy neighbor that lived life being a dick to every person he knew. But none left any print on the murder scene. No blood splatters, no strangulation marks, and no poisoning after the autopsy. And the prime suspect was an old lady. How on earth was she supposed to carry out a murder when she could barely remember her way home? It made no sense whatsoever. Anyone could see that.

But there he was, having a heated argument with a man that thought that forgetting to return a rice cooker was good enough reason for a lady to murder her asshole of a neighbor. It was safe to say at this point that Hyunsuk could teach the class blindfolded and it would still make more sense that whatever bullshit this professor of his spatted out. At least this was, _in his humble opinion_ , true.

“ _i know what i’m doing-_ ” Hyunsuk muttered annoyingly to himself, mocking the way the man had talked to him. “ _you’re just a student, still learning_.”

“ _you’re on thin ice, young man_ ”

“ _stop calling me old witch_ ”

“ _that’s it. get out of my class-”_ He scrunched up his nose on that last part. He was already thinking of all the ways he would be starting off his passive aggressive email to the Dean when someone bumped into him. It shook him out of his thoughts and made him look down. The blond hair gave it away for him instantly. 

“Asahi?” Hyunsuk asked before the other to raise his face to lock eyes. It was him! How long had it been since they talked? “Woah we haven’t talked in a while!”

The corridor they were standing in wasn’t necessarily full or empty. It had people, some, but not many. It was afternoon class time for many after all. The Japanese boy just gave him a stoic face, unchanging.

“It’s been a while.” He repeated back. Hyunsuk noticed the backpack that he was wearing, and the striped sweater he was wearing.

“A-are you going anywhere?” Hyunsuk asked excitedly, slinging his arm around the shorter, missing the slight yelp that came from him. “Maybe we could hang out! Or-”

“I’m going to practice.” Asahi interrupted him, halting their walk. Hyunsuk felt his heart drop. Oh. Of course he was. The taller looked back to see the volleyball strapped to the backpack. Seemed like he missed it before. He politely smiled and let go of Asahi, the blond male looking down to the floor before quietly uttering a goodbye and walking the opposite direction from where Hyunsuk was coming from. Hyunsuk watched the figure disappear outside before hitting his head with the palm of his hand.

“Idiot!” He told himself, earning concerned looks from people walking around him.

“Careful. Don't cream your pants around the captain.” A voice called out at him, making Hyunsuk turn to face another familiar face. It was Yedam, and from the looks of it, he was on his way to practice too. Hyunsuk ignored him and huffed out some air before turning to walk away when the other stopped him. Hyunsuk scowled.

“What do you want?”

Yedam laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “What do you mean? I was just saying.” Hyunsuk narrowed his eyes before raising both his brows and slouching back.

“Am I that obvious?” He asked. Yedam leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and nodding in amusement.

“Super obvious.”

Hyunsuk thought as much and made his way next to Yedam. The day was just getting better and better for him. And right now, he really needed a smoke break. Unfortunately for him, he just so happen to have run out of packs. And that was shitty luck from his part. Yedam turned his body to look at him, this time, with curiosity in his eyes. “I don’t get it.”

Hyunsuk doesn’t understand what Yedam is asking. “What?”

“I don’t get it, Hyunsuk.” Yedam looks at him curiously. “I mean, you sleep with practically any person you want. Why is captain the exception?”

Hyunsuk does not answer. Not immediately. He tilts his head, as if thinking about it before looking back at Yedam. “I guess because I actually like him.”

“And you show that by sleeping with a bunch of random people?”

“I thought you said it was obvious.”

“Obvious, not smart.”

“And since when was any of this smart?”

“Woah-” Yedam stands up after some thought to what the older said. “Hyunsuk being a hopeless romantic. Who would've thought?”

Hyunsuk rolls his eyes. “Don't you have to actually go to practice? Or is he easy on the freshmen?”

“HAH! I wish!” Yedam snorts. “He’s a real pain in the ass. But you’re right.” He looks at the direction of the hallway that Asahi took. “I do need to get going.” He waves Hyunsuk off before heading to practice. And that was the end of their conversation.  
\----  
It wasn’t until he got to his room, to his bed, that he realized how much he was aching to fill his lungs with smoke again. Hyunsuk was twitching, looking for change in his pockets when the door opened and in came Jihoon, smelling like a whole pharmacy.

“Where the hell have you been?” Hyunsuk asks, scrunching up his nose while looking through the pocket of some coat. “You smell like three different restaurants at once.”

Jihoon takes off his jacket, paying no mind to what Hyunsuk is asking. He throws the jacket to the side of the bed before yawning and sitting on the edge of his mattress. He looked tired, definitely worn out. Hyunsuk tried to ignore him too and finally found some change within the pocket of a pair of pants. He looked around and saw the extent to which his searching went. It looked like a tornado had ripped through.

“You aren’t going to go buy more of your cigarettes, are you?” Jihoon quirked an eyebrow. So now he wanted to talk? Hyunsuk faced away.

“That’s none of your business.” Hyunsuk answered, looking for his coat in the heaps of clothes he scattered around his bed.

“It is when you decide to smoke in my dorm.” Jihoon elevated himself on his elbows. Hyunsuk, at this remark, snorted out loud.

“Who said it was only yours?”

“It says no smoking on the building.”

“And who exactly follows that? No one.” Hyunsuk found his coat and was just putting it on when Jihoon sat up.

“If you’re going to smoke, don’t do it here.”

Hyunsuk now was really annoyed. He whipped his head to look at Jihoon and scowled. “Let me be, prude. Why do you care about rules anyway?”

Jihoon looked taken back. “Prude?”

“It won't bother you anyway.” Hyunsuk was just about to head to the door when he felt a shoe hit his back. “Don’t you ever fucking call me prude again!”

Hyunsuk knew he should have let it go. He knew better than to fight with the brick wall that was Jihoon. He really did, but he never liked to be corrected. So he turned around and grabbed his own shoe to throw it back and hit Jihoon's shoulder. It must have been strong because Jihoon fell back on the bed and squeezed his shoulder tightly. “AHHH!”

Hyunsuk clicked his tongue. “Prude.” He muttered before turning to head to the door again when he was knocked down by a blob of brown hair. Jihoon, like an angry fucking racoon, was on his back, teeth gritting.

“Call me prude one more fucking time!” Jihoon landed his hands on his shoulder, putting his whole weight on the older. Hyunsuk winced at the heaviness that was Jihoon and groaned.

“Get off me!” He tried to get up but Jihoon leaned in front of him. Hyunsuk had no idea what the heck Jihoon was doing. Why was he on top of him? Why did it resemble a lot like an angry dog? Why the fuck was Jihoon so against him smoking inside the damn dorm? And why the fuck did he smell so fucking nice-

“GET OFF ME!” Hyunsuk screamed before rolling over, making Jihoon fall next to him. A lot like yesterday, now that he remembered. As soon as Jihoon was off, he got up, all the change in his pockets falling immediately after. He looked down at Jihoon, whose face was red, and looked just about ready to explode. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Jihoon didn’t say anything. He just laid still before abruptly getting up and heading out the door. It left Hyunsuk speechless , making him pick up his cash quickly before heading out the room. He made a left, going to the stairs that would lead him to the main road. But he found himself stopping, just standing there and forgetting where he was going in the first place. He really needed that cigarette about now, but his body was ditched. His mind was telling his legs, arms, to move and go down the stairs. But he didn’t.

He sort of just stood there, waiting.

Oh he couldn't be serious! What was he waiting for?! He needed to move. But he couldn't!

Except, he could. Hyunsuk could move to the right. This made him hate his already miserable life. With one last groan, he bit his tongue and turned around to walk to his right. “Fuck me” He whispered to himself before moving.

Turned out that Jihoon ended up going to the bathroom. The loud throw up noises were leading Hyunsuk there. And upon seeing the first stall containing Jihoon on his knees throwing bile into the toilet, Hyunsuk majorly regretted not ignoring the pull he had to go check on roommate.

“Umm-” Hyunsuk didn’t know what to say. He didn’t even know what he was doing here. All he knew was that Jihoon was either drunk or suck and he didn’t smell like alcohol at all.

“Don’t-” Jihoon tried to say before another attack of green goop came out of him. “-say anything.”

Hyunsuk was frozen in place, part of him wanting to dip and the other to pick up Jihoon off the bathroom floor. He frowned, but this time, at himself. _Just dip. Since when did you care about him?_ He had plans of going to the convenience store and then heading to Jaehyuk’s place to work on homework and that email to the dean, but he just. Could. Not. Move. At. All.

And that bothered him. It should have amused him to see Jihoon in such a miserable state, and part of him did. But then again, Jihoon was shivering. And he looked really in pain. So Hyunsuk bit his tongue and headed to the sink, got some paper towels wet with hot water, and headed back to Jihoon.

He kneeled down, and since the younger had just spilled his guts out, he was in no state to fight when Hyunsuk wrapped his long coat around him and placed the hot paper towels on his forehead and neck.

“Come on.” He said adamantly. “This place smells.”

Like Jihoon waited nothing- unlike what it felt like moments ago- Hyunsuk managed to pull him up and act as a crutch so Jihoon could stand still. He was sweating, they both were, and that was surprising since Jihoon felt like a piece of ice. Just touching his skin made Hyunsuk shiver in cold. When they managed to find that balance, Jihoon a rag doll at this point, Hyunsuk turned to fix the younger's head, not wanting it to lay on his shoulder. Things are were weird enough as they were. And that’s when he caught notice of his figure on the bathroom mirrors. Hair slicked back, eyes sharp, ready to forget about the world just let the smoke take over, and here he was, helping the boy he almost killed yesterday.

What a funny world it was, Hyunsuk thought, before putting his gaze ahead and leading them both out into the hallway.


	3. Marlboro

There was a sharp pain surging through his neck, stretching from his collarbone to the exact point of his ear, and when he fixed his head abruptly to alleviate the pain, he heard a  _ crack _ .

He was now wide awake. 

Hyunsuk groaned, rubbing the left side of his neck before looking around. It was morning. He was sitting on a chair, so it seemed, and sleeping in his cozy bed, Jihoon. That took Hyunsuk back. What happened? He was sure there was no feeling of hangover through him. His breath didn’t smell like alcohol, and his clothes looked like he had been ready to go out for the night. Staring at Jihoon- that bitch that seemed to ruin everything for Hyunsuk- and his peaceful sleeping face, the raven thought back to last night. Small talk, quarrel, Jihoon on the bathroom floor, cleanup… that memory made Hyunsuk jump up from the chair he was sitting on. 

Why did he do that? He clenched his teeth and hit his forehead. He should have just left the fucker alone in the bathroom! Was he out of his mind! Hyunsuk was dwelling in his utter disbelief and did not notice Jihoon starting to sir up. He let out a small moan, squeezing his eyes shut and sitting up with the blanket around his shoulders. When Hyunsuk looked over to the back again, he almost tripped over the chair. 

Jihoon looked like he had just come from partying. His hair was up from all sides, disheveled, and he was rubbing his eye, like a small kid would. His cheeks flushed a soft pink, his lips in a small pout, his brown eyes facing his direction. Jihoon yawned, his brown eyes looking into Hyunsuk's with a hint of sleepiness to them. His brows knitted. Perhaps he was still trying to come to terms with the fact that was being awake, and the way they were looking at him, at the raven who suddenly thought he wouldn’t mind staring into those eyes for a little while longer-

“Where are we?” 

It brought Hyunsuk back to reality. He breathed, remembering who exactly Jihoon was. His fucking roommate, the guy that literally wanted him dead. He took back everything he had previously thought about the scene unfolding in front of him and scowled. 

“In the dorm.” Hyunsuk pointed a finger to the white mattress. “And that is my bed. So get off!” 

Hyunsuk didn’t know if Jihoon had heard him, the other looking around the room, still looking confused. But realization dawned upon him quick enough because he was soon sprinting off Hyunsuk’s bed and falling on the hard carpeted floor. “OW!” 

What happened next surprised them both. Hyunsuk immediately launched himself where Jihoon had fallen and held his head tightly. Without even thinking about it, he scowled and gave a tired whisper. “Are you alright?” This, of course, didn’t last long and when they finished processing what happened, Hyunsuk let go of Jihoon's head, making it fall down the floor again. A loud thud followed. Hyunsuk promptly got up and dusted himself off, realizing he still had a coat of his on. He cleared his throat and looked away.

“Y-YOU!” Jihoon sat up, rubbing his head and wincing. “What did you do to me last night!?” 

At this, Hyunsuk’s mouth gaped open, looking incredulously at the younger. “Hah! HAH!” He could hardly believe it. “You were the one who fell on top of me! You were the one who suddenly fell on the bathroom floor- that might I remind you is now a mess because YOU THREW UP! And you were the one who fell asleep on my bed! So what did YOU DO last night!?” 

Jihoon turned defensively at him. “I-I did nothing! HAH! I did my work, attended classes, went out to eat-” Jihoon paused. He did go out to eat. With the vampire of Hyunsuk’s friend and instantly, he groaned. “Oh FUCK ME!” He covered his eyes. 

“What-”

“It was the soup!” Jihoon shouted, throwing one hand up. “It was the soup! The fucking soup I took with Jaehyuk.” 

Hyunsuk raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “What does Jaehyuk have to do with all of this?” 

Jihoon looked like he wanted to punch Hyunsuk. “None of your damn business, but thanks to him, I owe now a fortune worth of a meal!” He threw a pillow that had fallen down at Hyunsuk. “How the fuck am I supposed to re-pay all that?!” 

Hyunsuk heard this and immediately, his head started spinning with questions. “You had a meal with Jaehyuk? A fucking date? I-” 

A small nock was heard. This made them both stop in their traces. “Ahhh, guys.” Came in the soft voice. “You both are being very loud. Some are still sleeping.”

On cue, they turned their head to the small alarm clock on Jihoon’s desk.  _ 7:25 _

“I-if you could quiet down for a moment, that would be great.” The voice came again. This was going to be another strike, and Hyunsuk groaned, fixing himself before clearing his throat and walking towards the door. Jihoon was still on the floor when he noticed where Hyunsuk was going. The raven grabbed the handle of the door and opened it. It was the damn student resources of the floor. Short and instantly shaking when he looked up at an unamused Hyunsuk. “That was a-all I had to say.” The boy turned around and walked off. Hyunsuk rolled his eyes speaking out to Jihoon. 

“I’m going to the convenience store.” Hyunsuk didn’t know why he had told Jihoon this, and it took him out for a moment before shrugging it off and walking outside. He heard shuffling behind him turned to see Jihoon hurrying to put his shoes on. 

“I-I’m going too.” He almost fell over, still a bit dizzy from what Hyunsuk could see. He scowled for the hundredth time that morning and gripped the door handle harder. “What are you? A fucking lost puppy? Don’t follow me.” 

“I NEED something to wake me up, asshat. So don’t worry.” Jihoon bit back and walked past Hyunsuk. “No stranger danger from me.” 

Hyunsuk watched him make his way down the hallway, trying to walk normally and failing. It was sort of comedic, like watching a baby giraffe stand up for the first time. He decided to might as well enjoy the absolute foolery Jihoon was making of himself and go with it. 

The trip to the corner store was  _ amusing _ , to say the least. Jihoon made sure to walk at least six feet ahead of Hyunsuk, trying to maintain his balance all throughout. Neither of them wanted to go to a different store, and that purely out of spite for the other. Hyunsuk thought that maybe if Jihoon always acted this dumb, then he could tolerate breathing the same air as him. 

Maybe. 

“Hey, you're going to fall down.” Hyunsuk called out as Jihoon began crossing the street. What was he on? Why on earth did he eat? And most importantly, what did Jaehyuk have to do with any of this? He saw Jihoon fall down to the floor, people walking around him thinking he was drunk, Hyunsuk groaned and walked a bit slower. “idiot.”

The brunette made it to the parking lot of the convenience store and stumbled his way inside. It was a wonder seeing him like this, the usually composed Jihoon having a sharp eye for everything, and that included hating on everything Hyunsuk did. Once inside, the older went straight into the drink section, looking over the different versions of cold coffee and AA’s in the freezers. He needed something strong to survive the morning, and that’s when he heard Jihoon curse one aisle over. 

“FUCKING SHIT WHERE IS THE DAMN HANGOVER MEDICE.” 

Jihoon seemed to curse more than Hyunsuk, and Hyunsuk cursed a lot. “Language.” Hyunsuk hummed out while inspecting two Iced Coffees on his hand. He turned to see Jihoon peeking his head around a shelf. 

“Choke.” He sneered before stomping his way to the next aisle. Hyunsuk let out a  _ ‘tch’ _ and picked a drink, putting the other back and closing the fridge door. He walked to the counter and let the girl scan it. She seemed young, not the usual person he often saw working here, maybe a part-timer, and it reminded him of his previous jobs. He had sympathy for them. Hyunsuk smiled, putting his hands to his side.    
  


“And a pack of cigarettes please.” 

The girl froze and stared straight into Hyunsuk. “ID?’

Hyunsuk signed out and rested his elbow on the counter “Listen-” He looked at her nametag. “Jinsoul. When you were little, and you thought of how wonderful it would be to finally earn money, did you imagine your job consisting of bothering university students for IDs?” Jinsoul looked taken back. “Life is so much more than being uptight. We all know the system does not favor us. Why play by its rules?” He ended his sentence with his hands put together and staring into her soul. She took a few moments to respond, before closing her eyes and sighing. 

“What brand?”

“Marlboro.” 

She checked the two items out and proceeded to hand him the bag, taking his money and making his way outside. He waited outside the store, leaning against the wall with one foot up and looking around for anything of his licking. His classes started in the afternoon, and right now, he had time to kill. It was a funny pun, since he studied killing and crime for a grade, and laughed at his own joke. 

“You’re full of shit.” He heard someone coming his way. It was Jihoon with a petty scowl and bag of his own. Hyunsuk noticed the eyebags he had, and wondered why he hadn’t seen them before. “You know that?”

Hyunsuk opened the packet of cigarettes and took out a lighter he had in a pocket. He lights it up and sees Jihoon squint his eyes. “Were you waiting for me or what?” He is next to take out something from his bag. A red popsicle, and Hyunsuk snorts. Jihoons turns his head to walk ahead, ignoring the snickers coming from the older. Hyunsuk raises his eyebrow and walks behind him. 

“What makes you think I was waiting for you?” 

Jihoon keeps walking. He seemed stable now. Hyunsuk wasn’t going to ask him anything anymore, both irritated with each other already. “The fact that you're following me right now is proof enough.” 

“Well that might be because we are heading the same way, don’t you think?”

Hyunsuk can’t see Jihoon’s face right now, and judging by the way the younger stayed silent, it was a clear indication that Hyunsuk had won the conversation. He didn’t know why he waited outside the store, and if he were honest, it was too early in the morning to be playing mental gymnastics. It did bother him though, and hopefully the nicotine of the cigarette he was inhaling made the trick in quenching his troubles. 

Arriving at the entrance of the building, their dorm, both boys noticed a crown outside. Students that lived inside the building, some staff, and a.... Firetruck? Hyunsuk walked faster to see what it was that was going. Turns out that there was a fire alarm that went off inside the building, and even though it was a false alarm, it still needed to be checked. The sprinklers went off, so something must have caused it. No one was to go inside until everything was figured out, and that would take at least thirty minutes. 

“What!?” Jihoon pushed his way through the sea of males and up to a staff of the university wearing a yellow vest jacket. Hyunsuk saw Jihoon make inhuman noises and point a finger to the entrance. “You’re telling me I can’t go inside?” 

The staff person nodded, continuing to scribble something down on his notebook. Jihoon inhaled deeply and turned on his heel. “This is atrocious.” He huffed out before making his way out of the sea of people and into the park. Hyunsuk looked on with a quirked head. He kept on stumbling over his own feet, and then he saw him sit down on the concrete stairs monument in the middle of the park. He looked like a child who was just told to sit in the corner. Hyunsuk stared at the crowd, then at the building, and then started walking towards the park. 

Jihoon saw him making his way there, and then turned his head. “Go sit somewhere else.”

Hyunsuk kept his lips in a straight line and sat a few feet apart from him. He placed his bag down, got his cigarette and squished the head of it on the concrete step, making ash fly into the air. He proceeded to get out of his bag the iced coffee he had bought and open the cap. The sound of it made Jihoon finally look at him. 

It was his drink that had caught the attention of the taller. Jihoon swallowed shallowly and licked his lips. They were unnaturally red. He guessed it must've been from the lollipop he seemed to swallow on their way back. Jihoon turned out to be a big fan of candy, so Hyunsuk saw. “Didn’t you get anything to drink?”

Jihoon lowered his gaze to his lap, frowning. “No. We were only gone for twenty minutes. Why the fuck would I think a fire alarm would go off inside?” 

Hyunsuk nodded at his answer and drank from his coffee, the refreshing feeling of ice cold liquid being ethereal going down his throat. He could almost moan at how good it was to drink something like this under the hot sun. A tree was providing shade for a small fraction of the stairs, and Jihoon had taken that side. Hyunsuk had to instead take one for the team and sit where the shade could not reach. 

He noticed Jihoon still staring, and as much as it pained him and went against what every fiber in his body begged him not to do, he extended his hand. “Have some, if you want.” He slurred out, quietly enough for Jihoon to maybe not hear. 

Jihoon scoffed and loosely crossed his arms over his chest. “No. I’d rather die.” 

Hyunsuk rolled his eyes and mouthed a  _ wish you would  _ before drinking again. He heard the commotion of the crowd all the way over here, and leaned his back against the concrete. This morning was turning out to be one of the longest he’d ever experienced. Too long for his comfort. He wondered why he followed Jihoon here. The swirling of his stomach was starting again, his mind starting to fill with questions he couldn't answer. Hyunsuk frowned. 

He was getting tired of using the word  _ couldn’t. _

A few moments passed before Hyunsuk tried to break the ice. “So how are your classes going-”

“Don’t patronize me.” 

Hyunsuk gasped, a bit offended. “I would never!” 

Jihoon stopped huddling in the corner and stared straight into Hyunsuk’s eyes. “You called a- what was it- a prude last night!” 

“Oh so  _ now  _ you remember last night!” 

“Fucking patronizer.” Jihoon leaned in to emphasize what he was saying to Hyunsuk before huddling back into his corner again. The older pursed his lips, the sudden exchange of words rolling in his head. He then smiled and started laughing. Jihoon started raising his eyebrow and clicking his tongue.    
  


“Tch. I knew you were fucking crazy.” He shook his head. Hyunsuk just continued laughing before biting his lower lip and put his drink to the side. 

“Do you know quantum physics, Jihoon?” 

Jihoon looked at Hyunsuk absurdly before shaking his head again. “No. Apparently literature majors are only good at reading and writing. Why would I know Quantum physics, Hyunsuk?” His tone of voice was one that would be used when talking to small children. It only made Hyunsuk smirk more.

“Schrodinger’s cat theory.” He started off, looking up into the sky. “Two realities co-existing with each other, unstable yet intertwined. The possibilities of two things happening at the exact. Same. Time.” Jihoon didn’t say anything, so Hyunsuk took that as a cue to continue. “We are here.” He put a finger up to the sky. “And in another reality, we are here.” He put his other index finger on another point in the sky. “We are in this reality, where we scream. We fight. We hope the other dies.” He then starts shaking his other finger slightly. “But in this reality, we can withstand inhaling the same air. We actually function together. May I say, even get along?” 

Hyunsuk turns around to look at Jihoon, who had his gaze fixed on Hyunsuk’s fingers. He did look like he was thinking about it. But then he let small, mediocre, laugh and closed his eyes. “That is the stupidest shit I've heard in a while.”

Hyunsuk allows his hands to fall down, eyeing Jihoon. 

“You think so?” 

Jihoon didn’t respond. He just turned his back to Hyunsuk and curled up, seemingly ready to take a nap. 

\----

It wouldn't be until almost forty minutes later that the firefighters would eventually figure out it was a toaster in the small break room of the staff that had sent smoke up to the fire alarms and that’s how it started. Hyunsuk woke up and heard people starting to make way inside, the fire trucks leaving already. Apparently he had fallen asleep too,, and it was given since him and Jihoon both had woken up early. He groaned, stretched his arms, and stood up. The sun was really starting to beat down on him. His coat served as a small protection from the light, but then he realized his situation. 

He had spent well over half an hour here under the sun when he could have easily walked to somewhere else. A café or something. And speaking of cafes, he was lucky his shadow was covering the drink he bought. Why the hell did he stay? It was driving him crazy. He was doing all these things that eventually connected to- to him. 

Hyunsuk’s frown deepened and walked long strides to where Jihoon was soundly asleep. He started shaking his shoulder. “Wake up, asshole!” Time to leave. 

Jihoon walked his arm away, eyes still closed and muttering something that soundly eerily similar to ‘leave me alone, bitch.’ Hyunsuk shook his shoulder harder.

“People are going to start thinking you’re actually drunk if you stay out. GET. UP.”

Hyunsuk must have been still half asleep. Jihoon moaned a no and tried to get his arm away again. So the only logical thing that Hyunsuk’s not fully awake brain could think of was-

Throwing Jihoon on his arms and start carrying him like a fucking bride. 

Jihoon let out a squeak and Hyunsuk just groaned. “You’re much lighter than I thought.”

They stood there, gaining the attention of a few people before they both became fully aware and Hyunsuk dropped the body to the ground. That was the second time Jihoon had fallen to the ground that morning. 

“S-shit I-I-” Hyunsuk tried to back away. Jihoon just stared wide-eyed, as if Hyunsuk had grown two heads. The older boy couldn't blame him. “I- wasn’t-”

Before he could even form a coherent sentence, Jihoon got up, grabbed his bag and walked away as fast as possible. He headed towards their dorm, and Hyunsuk could do nothing but stand frozen in place, his stomach churning and his head spinning, looking for the damn answers that he needed. 

\----

**_Jaehyuk_ ** __

_ Hey Jihoon. Still coming over to work on the thing? _

_ 9:00 _

**_Jaehyuk_ **

_ Jihoon? _ _   
_ _ 9:15 _

**_Jihoon_ **

_ Yeah! I woke up early. Still a bit sleepy. _

_ Hey listen. How much do I owe you? For yesterday’s meal? _

_ 9:22 _

**_Jaehyuk_ **

_ Oh nothing! You owe me nothing! It was on me, remember? _

_ 9:23 _

**_Jihoon_ **

_ I see. You shouldn't have. I’m going to be a bit late. I’m not really feeling well today. Is that fine? _

_ 9:39 _

**_Jaehyuk_ **

_ Totally! What happened? Fight with Hyunsuk again? _

_ 9:40 _

**_Jihoon_ **

_ Something like that _

_ 9:54 _


	4. "And you'll salt his wounds upon this earth"

Hyunsuk was utterly fucked. 

He was riding his bike across the park, trying to catch his breath. The feeling of the wind on his face was comforting, sort of. It still felt hot, his pores burning on him. The afternoon sun felt just right and the noise of the people a bit distracting. If only it had lasted longer.   
  


He managed to stop in front of the steps of the main building. Two main rows of steps on top of each other, the color of concrete, that landed on a wall of pillars that made entrance for the double doors. It certainly was a great building to look at and admire, and Hyunsuk wondered if it was pretty to look at or too big to ignore. His hands were twitching a bit, they did that whenever he was anxious. 

“Hyunsuk!” He heard someone call out his name, turning to see Yoshi with a small crowd behind him. He was wearing a blue hat and holding a small blue banner on a stick. Hyunsuk burrowed his brows. 

“Campus tours already?” 

Yoshi smiled and nodded, the crew looking around the park. “They decided to plan them early this year.” He shrugged and lifted the banner, indicating to the crew that he was taking them inside. With a shallow goodbye, he waved the flag and him and the crew disappeared by the pillars. Hyusuk watched the last person enter before feeling jittery again. 

He was utterly fucked.

\----

The great hall dinners were okay sometimes. Only sometimes. It didn’t mean that the food was five stars, but that it was good enough to not vomit once it went to one's mouth. That’s how Hyunsuk liked to describe it. He sat in his usual spot, one by the far right corner of the hall, where he could watch everyone. They had served udon noodles this time, and Hyunsuk looked at the food with light disgust. That didn’t look like any udon noodles he had ever seen. Maybe the food did make you throw up once in a while. 

The people that usually sat in front of him were the indie kids, or the band people. Sometimes even some of the Varsity math kids did too, though not often. 

Never would he have thought that the basketball boys would enjoy their fucking udon noodles in this corner of the hall as well. 

“Training was a bitch this year, wasn’t it?” One of them said. Hyunsuk had never bothered to memorize who they were, only ever going to the school basketball games for extra credit when the teachers wanted to make it that way. 

“Aww fuck you, Wonjoo! You just made me remember all those fucking laps we had to do.”

Wonjoo, the buff dude with his back towards Hyunsuk sporting the number six gave a loud laugh. “Well be have another fucking camp coming soon so better be ready.” 

“How are you planning on enjoying your day off? I heard the cheerleaders and some band girls were eager to come meet us.”

“No shit, Wonjoo. Why? Are you planning on sleeping with them?”

“Tsk. Yeah, what about you Jaehyun?”

“Nah. I have a girlfriend. And you Wonjoo?”

“You know, I’m really in the mood for pounding into that slut’s ass.” The boys laughed. 

“You mean Jihoon?”

Hyunsuk froze.

“Can’t blame you. Last time I saw him, that ass had me jerking off for days.”

“I think i'll have some fun with him.” Wonjoo said. “He owes me anyway. I don’t know why he hasn’t welcomed me back yet.” 

Hyunsuk blinked. The basketball players were getting up and taking their plates. He hadn’t noticed how long he had stopped breathing for. 

The ride back to his room on his bike was uncomfortable. He had heard the stories of Jihoon having fun with the basketball players but Hyunsuk hadn’t thought that they were true. There was a deep nagging in his stomach that he couldn't quite get rid of. It was as if he had eaten everything in the cafeteria and then thrown it back out. He bit his lower lip and rode his bike faster.

There was a small parking lot for students under the building. Hyunsuk didn’t have a car but his bicycle worked just fine. There was a small designated area for them and once Hyunsuk put the lock on it, he immediately went to the elevator and pressed his floor button, anxiousness eating him up. He was shaking his leg, his hands twitching along. He recalled back to the conversation. Who the fuck was Wonjoo? What did he own? Why the fuck would Jihoon- who hated anything sports related- sleep with those assholes? Or was it just this Wonjoo guy he had fucked? These questions were racing in his mind, and the ding of the elevator couldn't have come any faster. 

Last time he had seen Jihoon, the latter had all but ran out yesterday morning, and had spent the night in god knows where. His face paled with the thought of Jihoon and Wonjoo doing the dirty. And when he was almost close to his door, he stopped. They had said that Jihoon had yet to talk to them. That must be that they hadn’t catched him yet, right? No, he had to make sure that he was fine. That he was nowhere near those- 

He heard some talking outside the door. Hyunsuk recognized those voices. Slowly turning the doorknob and pushing the door open, he caught sight of Jihoon, eyes wide, with Jaehyuk sitting on his bed, kissing Jihoon’s hand.

\----

“But did you see the Professor's face?!” Jaehyuk laughed besides Jihoon, hand on his stomach. “He looked so taken out!” 

Jihoon just walked silently besides him, face stoic, but feeling a smile creep up on him. They had finished their presentation with little to no trouble, hating the fact that he and Jaehyuk had to go last and hear all the other dumb people presenting the most god-awful assignments he had ever seen. He couldn't manage not to roll his eyes at everyone. Finally, when their turns came, it was an immense amount of relief to know that he had actually understood what the concept of the class was and he turned to see Jaehyuk, thinking that maybe pairing up with the star pupil was not such a bad idea after all. Jaehyuk was, after all, a genius. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Jihoon muttered under his breath as he got the keys out of his pocket and turned to unlock the door. He didn’t recall inviting Jaehyuk over to his dorm, but there was not much he could do since he was already here, was there? He sighed in relief that the whole thing was over now and entered his room, turning the heater slightly up and taking his scarf off. He supposed Jaehyuk was bearable, slightly more than Junkyu and way… calmer. Jihoon liked that. “Would you like, I don’t know. Water?” 

Jihoon wasn’t a very welcoming person and he lacked most of the empathetic feelings people normally had. That was fine by him, and by the looks of it, Jaehyuk too. He just hummed in content as he sat down on Jihoon’s edge of the bed. They didn’t have much to eat and drink here apart from water. Two whole months of knowing Hyunsuk and he had already learned that the fucker cared little to nothing keeping his body in tight condition. So Jihoon disappeared by a slight opening in the wall, a mini hallway not even three feet long that opened to a mini kitchen. He always found it ironic how the building had communal bathrooms but stoves and sinks in each room. There wasn’t much in it, much less food. Some ramen stacked up on the cupboard were Hyunsuk’s and water bottles on the floor. Jihoon luckily had brought some cups and plates with him after moving in. They were sitting by the small window the kitchen had. He went to grab one, and stopped to lightly touch his plant. 

It was a small thing, barely the size of the hand. He had found it outside the building doors, pot cracked and placed inside a cardboard box. Jihoon felt pity for it. The feeling of being broken and then tossed out after its once great beauty was gone. He bought a new clay bot for it, and placed it right by the window, for it to grow and hopefully heal. How he wished someone had taken care of him like that. 

He placed some water from a bottle inside the cup and filled it with ice coming from a mini fridge. Ice was the only thing in there, Hyunsuk and him always fighting about who it truly belonged to. It had come with the place, standard for all the rooms, but still. A nice brawl with the raven was good once in a while. He headed back to Jaehyuk, handing him the cup and sitting on his chair by the desk. 

“Thank you!” The other said, sipping the water and placing it on the floor. “See? That’s why I like you Jihoon.” 

Jihoon stared at him, slightly nodding. “Okay…” Jaehyuk’s eyes immediately went wide. 

“Wait, no! That’s not how I- wait, well- no! I-” 

The fluster Jaehyuk showed was amusing. It was sort of adorable, and that was a word Jihoon didn’t use often. He felt a smile form on his lips, and something growing slightly on his chest. A small laugh. 

Jihoon laughed at the way Jaehyuk looked flushed and at the way he was playing with his hands. He put the backside of his hand to his mouth and giggled. He was sort of impressed with how light the atmosphere was around him. When Jihoon opened his eyes again, Jaehyuk was looking at him in awe. 

“Your laugh…”

Jihoon raised an eyebrow, smirk still playing on his lips. “My laugh what?”

Jaehyuk shook his head slightly, and for a moment, Jihoon could see just why so many people liked Jaehyuk. He was handsome, only a blind person would deny it. 

“It’s beautiful.” He answered breathlessly, and it made Jihoon’s blush. For some odd reason, Jihoon blushed. Jaehyuk moved closer to him and grabbed one of his hands. “Jihoon, I…”

Jaehyuk cleared his throat and tried again, this time looking intently into Jihoon’s eyes. All Jihoon could do was stare back. Jaehyuk took a deep breath and spoke. “I like you. A lot.”

Well, Jaehyuk didn’t really beat around the bush, did he? 

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” 

Jihoon blinked.

“What?”

Jaehyuk kept his gaze steady. “Do you, Jihoon, want to become my boyfriend?” 

If Jihoon was hearing right, and only IF he was hearing it correctly, then he already had an answer. But the intensity of Jaehyuk’s gaze, the way he was holding his hand, so safe, so secured, and the way he felt so unburdened when he was around was enough to prompt Jihoon to not say it. He averted his gaze and moved it to the floor. 

“Y-You know I make fun of you, right? I call you vampire all the time.” Jaehyuk’s blush started to form again and he also moved his gaze from Jihoon’s head to the floor. 

“T-That’s fine.” 

Jihoon knew he wasn’t stable enough for a relationship. He knew that his madness would eventually seep out one way or another. But, there was nothing wrong in pretending not everything was utter shit. Jihoon stayed silent for a moment before answering. “Ok.” 

The excitement and relief radiating from Jaehuyk was astonishing. He let out a deep breath, as if he was holding it in this whole time. “I promise you,” Jaehyuk moved Jihoon’s hand up to his lips. “I won’t take this chance for granted.” He whispered on the flesh, sending slight vibrations through Jihoon’s arm. He gently kissed the hand, and Jihoon felt like he was in some old Edwardian era romance novel. 

And the moment would have lasted longer if it wasn’t for the stupid oaf of a man called Hyunsuk opening the door. 

\----

Hyunsuk stared out at them, eyes wide. What did he walk into? Why didn’t Jaehyuk tell him he was coming over? He thought about the way he rushed over here, for no reason other than to see and confirm if Jihoon was okay. How he had the sudden urge to punch those basketball guys over and over and over again until they couldn't be recognized. Hyunsuk felt… betrayed. His gaze was moving between the two, and he couldn't control the anger that was forming inside him. 

“What is going on?” He tried to levy his tone. Jihoon retracted his hand, slowly getting up and heading to the kitchen, his face stoic as if he hadn’t just walked in on him and Jaehyuk’s intimate moment. Somehow, that was worse. 

“Hey Hyunsuk!” Jaehyuk got up and smiled. “I was just talking to Jihoon about our project. How good it went-”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were here?” Hyunsuk cut him off, eyes trained on the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jaehyuk rocking slightly. 

“I sort of came for Jihoon.” Jaehyuk put a hand on his shoulder, and Hyunsuk had the intense urge to slap it away. “Hey I’m sorry.” Jaehyuk whispered. “It was a really long day for us. I just wanted to spend time with him. That’s all.” He moved to the door and opened it, trying to smile again. “Don’t take out whatever anger you have right now in him, alright? It was all my fault to begin with.” 

Hyunsuk locked his jaw, biting his tongue. “And who said I was angry right now?” He only heard a sigh before the door closed and it was just the two of them alone. 

Hyunsuk leaned against the door, eyed in shock and heart feeling like it would hop out of his throat any second. He wanted to cry. He didn’t know why, he just wanted to. Suddenly, the air in the room felt too heavy for him. 

He saw Jihoon come into view again, going to pick a cup with water and some reminiscences of ice in it, drinking from it and emptying it all out in one go. He walked into the kitchen, and Hyunsuk followed him.

“Where did you sleep last night?” 

“That is none of your concern.” Jihoon answered simply as he washed the cup, back towards him. There was only a small pint of soap left on the container. One small bottle lasted them two months, which showed just how much they didn’t use their kitchen in the first place. 

“Then tell me what Jaehyuk was doing here.”

“That is none of your business.” 

Hyunsuk let out a laugh. “I guess i’m the fucking circus then!”

Jihoon abruptly turned around, the water having stopped. “May I know what's the problem?”

That was the thing. There _was no_ problem. He couldn't just say that he was seconds away from throwing punches with the school athletes twice as big as him. And he definitely couldn't say that he was seconds away from throwing punches with his best friend. He clenched his teeth. “Do you know, how worried I was for you-”

“Why the fuck would you be?!” Jihoon threw his hands up in the air, looking incredulously at him. “Hyunsuk, you do understand that I don’t like you right? As a roommate and as a human being.”

Hyunsuk let out a groan that sounded more like a frustrated growl. “I don’t fucking know, Jihoon! Okay?!” It was Hyunsuk’s turn to throw his hands up. “I don’t know what is wrong with me and why I am feeling the things I am feeling, practically overnight with no explanation whatsoever!” Hyunsuk felt his eyes start getting blurry. “I just biked over here ignoring every stop sign in the street just so I made sure that you came to sleep here tonight. I had this nagging all day that made me want to throw up because I didn’t know who the fuck you spent the night with! I mean shit Jihoon - I- I don’t know why but I can’t stop it!” Hyunsuk breathed heavily, realizing he had been screaming irrationally the whole time. He ran his hand through his hair, looking around for what to say next. 

“But you hate me.” Jihoon whispered. 

“I don’t!” Hyunsuk answered, and then breathed again, trying to calm his tone. “I never once, in the course of these two months, ever stated that I hated you. Disliked being your roommate, yes. But never hated you. I may have thought it in fits of anger whenever you made me mad, but it was never true. Why do you think I followed you to the bathroom that night, or waited for you outside the convenience store? Or sat besides you that morning? Jihoon I was about to start a fight after hearing what they said about you.” 

Hyunsuk knew he looked psychotic. He couldn’t manage to care. “I remember when we met. I remember wanting to be your friend, how cool it would be for me to have a friend that I could talk literature with, because despite what you think about me Jihoon, I’m not a jerk that makes fun of liberal arts. I remember it so clearly, but you pushed me away. Over and over again.” He ended, with his voice rough.

They stood in the silence of the room, the atmosphere heavy. Hyunsuk felt like he had just spilled his guts over the floor, just waiting for Jihoon to step on them. 

“Jaehyuk asked me to be his boyfriend.” 

Hyunsuk looked up at him. “Oh.”

“I accepted.” 

Hyunsuk felt an intense longing deep in his core. He swallowed hard and mustered a hard smile. “That’s good.”

“It is.” Jihoon said and walked past him, shoulders rubbing, to get ready for bed. 

\----

Hyunsuk couldn’t sleep. His heart was still pounding in his chest, and relief filled him when he turned his head to look at the figure sleeping on the bed next to him. All of this was new to him. Everything that he said (screamed) to Jihoon was true. The truth was flowing out of him with no way of stopping it. It played in his head over and over again, the many ways things could have gone differently. 

He then thought back to Jaehyuk. His best friend, the person he had grown up with, practically his brother. The person Hyunsuk trusted with his life. Jaehyuk and the way his smile seemed the sheer everyone up who came across it. He had stayed beside Hyunsuk’s side even when everyone around him was telling him how much of an asshole Hyunsuk was. He had always laughed and told them _‘you just need to know him a little better.’_ No matter what, no matter how much shit he had gotten Jaehyuk and himself in, he had always stayed by his side. And Hyunsuk knew for a fact that Jaehyuk trusted him with his life too.

God he felt like such a _dick_. He had the urge to get up and call him at three in the morning and apologize, but he thought in person was the only good enough way. But there was a feeling in him. In his chest. It told him that he didn’t actually feel sorry. That his rage was justified. He sighed deeply again, closing his eyes. 

He wanted the image of Jaehyuk kissing Jihoon’s hand out of his sight, out of his memory, forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Wow. The fourth chapter is already up and it's hard to believe that people are actually enjoying this! I know it's been over a month since I last posted the last chapter and something amazing happened... people kept asking about my story. I KNOW. Crazy, right! Thank you all for reading it and for commenting because I do read the few comment I get. I do! It took a long time to get this chapter out since I'm a perfectionist and I do things the long way. School has been stressing me out too. But enough about that. 
> 
> Please leave comments because I do enjoy reading what people say! Until next time!


	5. "Are you familiar with the works of Homer?"

Asahi was hot. 

It was a universal truth acknowledged that he was, indeed, fucking hot. He was tall, but not that tall. He was lean, with skin so clear and beautiful he was basically glowing. His eyes were slender and wide at the same time, making him seem untouchable, unattainable, and that’s what made him desirable. 

Hyunsuk saw him making his way through the park, his orange volleyball uniform on, and eyes trained on the grass. He stared in awe. It was as if he was heading his direction, small pouty lips ready to be kissed. Lord knew how many times Hyunsuk had gotten off from those lips alone. Of course he wasn’t going to be crude about it but if he could just spend some alone time with him then-

Asahi actually was making his way towards Hyunsuk. 

He choked on the blue popsicle he was eating and got up from his blanket. It was a hot day with his classes in the afternoon and he thought that maybe some nice breeze could cool him down. He had enjoyed reading his book and looking around at the people when he spotted the captain. 

Asahi stood right in front of Hyunsuk, and he prayed that his lips or mouth weren't blue. The blond raised his eyebrow.

“Did I interrupt something?”

Hyunsuk shook his head immediately. “No.”

“Okay.” Asahi looked at his blanket and then at the popsicle Hyunsuk had in his hand. “Mind if I sit down with you for a bit?”

Hyunsuk could feel his heart jump out of his chest. “N-no! Go ahead!” He motioned with his arms for Asahi to sit down. He took the place next to him, trying his hardest to not hyperventilate. Asahi moved his hands to grab the book that was wide open. 

“The Iliad?” 

Hyunsuk flushed. “Yeah.” He saw Asahi turn the pages, slightly stopping for a second or so to read some parts, and then continuing to flip. Hyunsuk took the time to study his face. Study the pointed angle of his chin, the flat bone structure, his beautifully defined small nose. He was perfect. And he was all Hyunsuk dreamed of. He still did. He still thought of him as the prettiest thing on campus. But… 

Asahi closed the book and turned to look at Hyunsuk. The older didn’t flinch. They just sat there, letting the quiet envelop them. It was weird. Hyunsuk never thought the day would come where him and Asahi shared a moment like this. “I have a game tonight. I want to see you after it ends.’ 

This brought Hyunsuk out of his thoughts. “Game?” 

“The tickets are sold. I can get a seat for you if you want, but I want to see you after it. Outside the backside of the gym.”

“O-okay.” Hyunsuk agreed. He hadn’t heard of a game, his mind currently occupied by mishap after mishap. But if his crush asked to see him after his game, then Hyunsuk would go. Asahi nodded too turned to look straight, his lazily going around the park scenery. 

\----

“We can go to the game tonight if you want.” Jaehyuk told him. “It’ll be the first one of the season.”

Jihoon hummed. He was watering the plant, already done with any assignments due for the day. He stared out the small kitchen window to look down at all the people walking by. He tried to imagine what their lives were like, where they were going, what they would do. 

“Or we can always go to Alleyway Sunshine. My godparents will be eager to know I finally have a lover hehe.” He chuckles. “They’re always bugging me about it.” He adds quietly at the end. Jihoon humms again. 

He was bored. 

“Sure, we can go out tonight.” He answers. “The game sounds nice.” Jihoon held his phone with his shoulder and ear, going back to the mini fridge to grab some ice and water. “It’ll give me an excuse to not hang out with Junkyu again.” He heard Jaehyuk laugh again. “Nights with him are terrible. And so is his self righteous dick of a roommate.” 

“Haha yeah, that’s… that’s Yoshi, I guess.” 

Jihoon pursed his lips. How could Jaehyuk stand hearing him talk. Jihoon only knew how to talk shit about other people. How was it that Jaehyuk never told him anything? 

“So it’s settled then? The game?” Jihoon asked.    
  


“Yeah! We can buy tickets by the gate!” He heard people talking by the other line. “Class is about to start. Gotta go. Bye! See you later!” 

“Bye.” Jihoon said blankly and hung up. He looked down at the phone. Down at caller ID on Jaehyuk’s name. 

‘Yoon Jaehyuk’. 

He stayed there, staring at the name. It was weird, but he assumed it must be a nice kind of weird. 

He abruptly put the phone face down on the counter and chugged his water down.

\----

The cheers of the crowd were loud. Their home team must be doing well. The night had drastically changed its temperature, Hyunsuk being able to see his own breath after blowing on his hands. He walked in circles and patterns to distract himself as he waited for Asahi to come out. 

The game ended at eight-thirty. Half an hour passed and the hour turned to nine. He was the captain after all, so it was fair to think that he would stay back a bit. It wasn’t making the night any warmer. And then Hyunusk saw him. The blob of blond hair walking towards him, face the same as always. “You came.”

“You told me to wait.” Hyunsuk smiled, noticing how big the coat Asahi had on was on him. The orange hat he wore made him look small and cute. “What did you want to talk about?”

Asahi didn’t answer. He just looked down to his shows and started walking towards the street. Hyunsuk eyed him, unsure if to follow, but moved anyway. He walked behind him, the atmosphere quiet. Asahi led them to another complex building, one which Hyunsuk assumed was a dorm. He inspected the building up and down, noting that it was one of the more expensive ones. Asahi interred a code by the door and they entered a small lobby area, with a small desk empty and a single flight of stairs. Across from them was an elevator, which the blond completely ignored as he started to walk up the stairs. He had his backpack on, Hyunsuk saw as he followed him still in silence. They landed on the second floor, the hall big and spacious, nothing like his dorm. Just how much money did Asahi spend here? Hyunsuk was about to ask him when the other spoke. 

“My room is down the hall.” He pointed to the right. Hyunsuk peeked over to see where he was pointing. “The person I share my room with is out of town.”

Oh.

Hyunsuk froze. 

“Ahh. He is?”

Asahi nodded and started walking. They reached his door, room 210, and imputed another code in before opening the door. Hyunusk felt a chill go over him.  _ Calm down. Calm down. _

The kitchen came first, then a small dining area, and then two doors on the left side. Asahi took his shoes off and his hat too. His jacket followed and Hyunsuk had to turn away, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment. Wordlessly, he grabbed Hyunsuk’s coat and started unzipping it. 

Oh.

Hyunsuk swallowed hard and said nothing, allowing Asahi to do as he pleased. After taking it off, he led Hyunsuk by the hand to a room- his room, Hyunsuk assumed- and closed the door behind him. 

Now they were both alone, in Asahi’s room, with no interruptions. Hyunsuk’s heart was pounding. “Umm, nice room.” Was all he could muster to say. 

The next couple of minutes went like a blur. Hyunsuk was pushed against the door of the room and he didn’t register that he was until he felt lips on his. An eager tongue trying to probe inside his mouth and Asahi’s entire body flushed against his. 




It was a sudden rush going through him, from the way Asahi was practically dry humping him to the way his lips moved so expertly on his. Hyunsuk stared wide eyed, too shocked to move as the blond continued his demonstration. 

Asahi abruptly backed off and stared wide-eyed at Hyunsuk, who didn’t know exactly what to think.    
  


“I… um…” Hyunsuk felt his stomach doing backflips. “I-I didn’t know…” 

“I know you like me.” Asahi interrupted, voice in a rush. “I know you’ve liked me for a long time.” 

Hyunsuk swallowed hard and tried to speak again, but the image of Asahi, right there… looking so beautiful. So mesmerizing. Hair disheveled. 

He looked so… fuckable. Everything that Hyunsuk desired.

But… it felt odd. 

Asahi pulled him by the arm and made Hyunsuk sit down on the bed, earning a yelp from him. He made sure that Hyunsuk’s legs were fully seated before positioning himself on them, facing the astonished boy, their crotches rubbing against each other and making Hyunsuk mewl. 

_ Oh. _

“Asahi?” Hyunsuk couldn't concentrate when those lips, those slightly parted lips, were right in front of him. God did he want to just ravish them. 

But something in the pit of his stomach was stopping him from lunging forward and claiming those lips. Something he was not able to put his finger on. 

Suddenly, Asahi started to shift on his lap, starting to take off his long sleeve. 

_ OH. _

“I like you.” Asahi said, in a low voice, and that was enough for Hyunsuk to break any doubt he had and close the space between the two, mouths and tongues clashing. 

\----

Jihoon was uncomfortable. 

It was the first Varsity Volleyball game of the season and here he was, in the bleachers, ignoring the presences of the home team captain. 

“YEAH.” Jaehyuk cheered as Asahi scored another point for the team. The whole crew around him was cheering on, and here he was, sitting down, eating a pretzel. 

“That was a close one. The setter almost lost it.” Jaehyuk said as he sat down again, turning to look Jihoon. “Good thing Asahi was there.”

“Yeah.” Jihoon took another bite from the pretzel. “Good thing.”

“Hey.” Jaehyuk put his hand on his shoulder, carefully getting close to him. “Are you okay? You seem sad.”

“Tch.” Jihoon snorted. “What would give off the impression?”

“You don’t look interested at all in the game.” 

Jihoon sighed and bit his pretzil, looking down at his shoes. “That's because i’m not interested.” He turned to look at Jaehyuk, and gave him a small smile, realizing he was being a dick on their first date. “But i’m glad I at least got to go out tonight.” 

Jaehyuk smiled. Jihoon wondered if the brightness of it ever went down. “That’s fine then.” He turned to look at the exit sign. “We can leave if you want.” 

Jihoon raised his eyebrow. “Don’t you want to watch the game?” 

Jaehyuk sighed, eyes the field of players still hitting the ball and going at it.. “Well, yeah.” He faced Jihoon again. “But I can always look up the results.” His smile faltered a bit. “Besides, I think I know who wins anyway.” 

Jihoon sucked in some breath, looking intently at Jaehyuk. He didn’t want to stay at all. But Jaehyuk really wanted to. He huffed out and took a huge chunk off the pretzel and handed it to him. 

“I can tolerate it a bit more.” 

Jaehyuk’s eyes shimmered. “Really? Jihoon, you don’t have to force your-”

“I’m sure.” Jihoon interrupted and duck head under his hat. Jaehyuk stared at him for a moment before suddenly planting a kiss on Jihoon’s cheek. “Thank you.” 

Jihoon’s eyes went wide, cheeks tomato red, his stomach flipping over. 

He wasn’t sure if it was due to butterflies or anxiety. 

\----

Sex with Asahi was Euphoric. 

They were laying on his bed, white sheets covering their lower half, with Hyunsuk’s dream partner laying on his chest. Hyunsuk was looking at the ceiling, mind racing. Asahi was calm, probably sleeping, his arms loosely wrapped around Hyunsuk’s waist. 

He was catching his breath, one hand on his forehead and the other one grabbing the sheets.  _ What the fuck did I just do? _ He was slightly panicking. Asahi was naked. Laying on his chest. They just had sex. Did he mention Asahi was naked? Because he was. 

Oh god. 

OH FUCK.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-

“Is this your idea of pillow talk?” Asahi groaned, making Hyunsuk yelp. 

“S-sorry.” He saw how Asahi adjusted himself, shifting so now his whole body was on top of Hyunsuk, and he could feel  _ everything. _

Asahi looked up at him, face tired. Hyunsuk tried to not look straight at him. “D-did I wake you up?”

Asahi yawned. He crossed his arms under him. “Yeah. I felt you panicking.” 

“Oh. Sorry about that.” 

They stayed quiet for a minute before Asahi laid his head down again. It sort of tickled, the blond hair feeling both soft and rough on Hyunsuk’s skin. Yeah, sex with Asahi was the most amazing sex he’d ever experiance. 

He was wild, loud, unashamed. But refined and elegant. He was pure ecstasy. Pure, blissful ecstasy. He might have let himself go loose. 

“Oh! I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Hyunusk asked, hoping he didn’t. He can feel Asahi rolling his eyes. 

“No Hyunsuk. Despite just having your enormous dick inside me, I survived.”

Hyunsuk blushed harder. “Right.” Asahi shifts again, this time sitting up, the cover falling back. 

Oh. Hyunsuk can see everything. 

“I guess this makes us boyfriends.” He said stoically. His legs were apart, hands on Hyunusk’s chest, leaning forward. 

Hyunsuk looked at Asahi’s torso. He noticed the love bites he left and the way Asahi’s hips look so bruised.  _ I really let myself loose, didn’t I? _

Hyunsuk could only nod in shock. Asahi bit his lower lip. “That’s good then.” Slowly, he started to adjust his hands for more support. Hyunsuk felt like he was suffocating. All of this was happening too fast. 

And yet, he didn’t have the willpower to say no. He looked into the blonde’s eyes and Hyunsuk knew exactly what was about to happen. And it was making him hard. Again. 

He started adjusting so he could flip them over when Asahi restrained him with his legs, holding their position in place. “No.” He breathed out, looking down at Hyunsuk, slowly bringing his own erection to life again in full display for Hyunsuk to gawk at. “I want it like this.” 

_ Oh. _

“Ok.”

\----

“I’ll text you later.” Hyunsuk told Asahi outside the door. He asked Asahi if he could take a shower, and he said he would take it with him. So they both washed the after sex smell of them at the same time, and well… shower sex ensued. 

“Yeah.” Asahi covered a yawn with his sweater sleeve. He looked cute again, the tan clothing way too big on him. He escorted Hyunsuk out the door, looking at him, waiting. Hyunsuk didn’t register what, but then gasped.

He leaned over to kiss the blonde on the lips, and Asahi equally reciprocated. “Sorry.” He muttered. Asahi rolled his eyes and kissed him again. 

After the second kiss, Hyunsuk took a few steps back, waving a goodbye. “See you.”

“Yeah.” Asahi lowered his head, a small pout on his swollen lips. 

Hyunsuk was quick. “I’ll see you later today, hopefully! Maybe for lunch?” 

This seemed to make Asahi slightly happy. “Yeah okay.” He waved a goodbye back and closed the door.

Hyunsuk let out a long breath. 

Walking down the street early in the morning was awkward. On the weekends anyway. It definitely felt strange. Hyunsuk thought back to last night. The night, the game, Asahi. There were many questions he had. Asahi said he had always known. And he also said that he liked him back. And now they were dating. It was hard to wrap his head around it. He walked up to a cafe a few blocks away from his apartment. He was happy. His crush confessed, they had mind-blowing sex, and he was content. It was all going right. 

Except it didn’t feel like it was.

Something was off. Not with Asahi. Not with the relationship, but with himself. He felt like something was being skimmed over. Like an important factor was not being counted. And while paying for his coffee, he wondered what it was. 

He was back at the park, this time talking the long way through the big leafy area filled with trees. It was peaceful. He could hear the sounds of people and cars become a little distant and the sound of birds became cleaner. Yeah. A walk here would be good. It was a concrete path with trees filling each side, making the illusion of being in a small forest of sorts. The morning air was still chilly, the sun was out, and his drink was just right. It felt right, and he tried to ignore the part that didn’t. 

Hyunsuk was about to take another sip, the cup touching his lips, when he heard it. 

Voices confronting each other. 

“Where’s my hug!?”

“Oh fuck you!”

“Haha! Heard that Wonjoo?!”

Hyunsuk felt the blood leave his face. 

_ Oh no.  _

_ They found him. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!


End file.
